Coming Into Her Own
by Sandrine Linares
Summary: I'M BACK! What if Serena realizes that Darien doesn't respect her and she breaks up with him? Does he care? What would he do to get her back? SerenaDarien. Please read and review.
1. Default Chapter

A/N: Finally trying to revise and finish this fanfic. Limited Internet access on Mardi Gras means it may be next week before I put another chapter up.

Disclaimer: Everyone knows my broke ass don't own shit.

Prologue

"I can't believe Rini's gone. I didn't think I'd miss her so much." Serena had a lot on her mind. Defeating the Wiseman had almost killed her and Rini, and for the past few days she had been thinking seriously about a lot of things.

She looked up into Darien's blue, blue eyes. It was now or never. "Darien," she said quietly.

"What is it?" he said as he gave her his devastating smile. When she didn't return his with a smile of her own, his slowly faded. "Serena, what is it?" he asked.

"I don't think we should do this," she said.

"Do what?"

"This relationship," she said. "You and me. I don't think we should get back together now that the danger is over."

Darien pulled away from her, but left his hands on her shoulders. "What?"

"You heard me," she laid her hands on of his and removed them from her shoulders. Then she took a step back. "I didn't come here to celebrate with you. I came to tell you I can't get back together with you."

"But I thought we were already back together," he said, puzzled.

"Oh Darien, I wish that was true. But right now I can't even imagine myself with you. I just need some space."

"Space! What do you mean space?"

"I don't really know what I mean! I just know I can't be with you right now!"

Color was slowly creeping up Darien's face. Finally, he exploded. "What do you mean you can't be with me? We have a child together!"

Serena frantically looked around at the nearly deserted park. "Keep your voice down," she hissed.

"Come on, Serena. There's hardly anyone here, and they're not listening to us anyway."

"They will be if you keep on yelling!"

Darien's hands came up to rub his eyes. "I can't believe this. How can you just make a decision like this?"

"I'm making the same decision that you made. Remember? You needed space. Now I need space!"

"Don't be immature, Serena. Because I did something to protect you, you do it just to get back at me?"

"Immature!" Serena's voice rose. "Don't you ever get a new line? I may be klutzy, ditzy and forgetful, but when it matters, I COME THROUGH!"

Darien shook his head. "I'm not denying that you don't come through." His voice softened, "Come on, Meatball—," he never finished.

"Head! Meatball Head!" she exploded. "Did it ever occur to you that maybe I like my hairstyle? After all the teasing I take about it! Don't you think I'd have changed it if I didn't have a reason to keep it like this?" She took a deep breath and continued. "I'm proud of my hairstyle, you asshole. This hairstyle is a mark of royalty, just like my powers. How dare YOU MOCK ME?"

"Oh, like you don't have your cutesy little nicknames for me." His voice rose to a falsetto. "Oh, honey, oh Darien. Muffin!"

Her face fell. "Well you won't have to worry about me bothering you after tonight." She turned away from him.

He grabbed her arm, preventing her from walking away. "Come on Serena. Let's not fight. You know I love you."

"No you don't. You know that you're supposed to be with me. That's not love, that's expectation. And I don't know if I can rely on expectation for my happiness. I need to be Serena for a while, and to figure out what that means to me, not to anyone else."

"How can you tell me I don't love you? I'm talking about my feelings, not yours Serena." Darien swung her to face him.

"And I'm telling you that you don't love me. You like me, I even amuse you sometimes. But you don't respect me. And without respect there is no equal relationship, no love," Serena gazed sadly at him.

"So you say it's over and it's just over?" Darien asked.

"That's more than you gave me," Serena pointed out. You didn't even give me a choice; you took it away from me. I'm taking my choice back. And at least you're getting an explanation."

"I pushed you away to protect you! I didn't have any choice!"

"Yes you did, you could have told me. And we could have worked it out TOGETHER!" She shook her head in exasperation. "You don't see me as an equal partner. You see me as a kid."

"But Serena —," his voice trailed off.

"Look, I don't want to talk about this anymore. Let's just walk away."

"I don't accept that," he said angrily.

She sighed. "You don't have a choice. I need a break so I'm going to take one. Goodbye Darien." She walked away from him and she didn't look back.


	2. Incomplete

Chapter 1: Incomplete

"I can't believe it! Another week of detention! Ms. Haruna never gives me a break! Somehow, I'm gonna start getting up on time. I'm so sick of this!" Serena stomped down the street in the direction of the arcade.

Andrew looked up as Serena slammed into the arcade. "Hey Serena! Bad day?"

"Don't even ask," she muttered.

"That bad?" Andrew was concerned. First Darien came in with his bad attitude, now Serena. Earlier that day Darien had filled him in about her "overreaction" at the park. "Maybe you should go home," he finally said.

"Trying to get rid of your best, most loyal customer?" Serena dramatically sighed, then stuck her tongue out at Andrew. "I can take my money someplace else," she said with a toss of her head that was ruined by her smirk.

Andrew smiled back at her, but insisted, "I'm serious. You look like you could use a little downtime." He tossed her a few coins. "Here, go play a few rounds of Sailor V, on the house."

Serena accepted the coins. "Thanks Andrew. Then I'll go home and crash."

"What, no milkshake?" he teased.

"Not today." She turned away with a smile on her face. "Thanks again."

"Anytime." He watched her as she walked to the game terminal in the corner and began to play.

* * *

Darien walked up the sidewalk towards Andrew's arcade. He walked in and made a beeline to Andrew's counter.

Andrew eyed him warily, deciding to not tell Darien that Serena was in the arcade. "What's up man?"

"I took off of work early. I just couldn't think."

"Darien the workaholic taking off of work early!" Andrew playfully reached over to touch Darien's forehead. "Well, you feel normal," he joked.

Darien didn't return his smile. "It's this Serena situation. I don't know what I should do!"

"Never been dumped before, huh?" Andrew's blue eyes twinkled.

"It's not funny!" Darien swore, "Damn it, she can't just say it's over and just like that, it's over."

Andrew sympathetically shook his head. "Why not? You did."

Darien buried his head in his hands. "I know," he said quietly.

In the corner, Serena finished her last game and stood up to leave. Scanning the arcade, she caught Andrew's eye, he motioned towards Darien's bent head. Eyes widening in alarm she turned and walked quickly to the door.

But Darien raised his head at that exact moment. A flash of gold at the corner of his eye caught his attention and he turned his head. "Serena!" he jumped up, ran to her and grabbed her arm. "Look, I'm glad I ran into you. We need to talk," he said breathlessly.

"I think our conversation was finished last night," Serena shot back trying to tug away her arm with no success.

"Serena, you need to listen to what I have to say," Darien said desperately.

She stopped struggling and glared at Darien. "Let me go. Now," she said in a deadly serious voice.

Surprised, Darien did. He watched as she walked away from him and out of the arcade. It took him a moment to recover, and he moved towards the door.

Andrew ran around the counter and grabbed Darien's arm. A Guy with long black hair grabbed his other arm.

As Darien struggled to get away from the stranger and his friend, he accidentally slammed Andrew into the counter.

Already the miserable middleman, Andrew grew angry and snapped, "Man, save your pride at least. I've never heard Serena sound like that, she's not gonna talk to you tonight. Give it a couple days."

"What is your deal?" the other guy chimed in. Letting go of Darien, he smoothed his long black hair into a ponytail. "You could get arrested for grabbing people like that, especially a girl."

"Do I know you?" Darien asked rudely; then turned away to sit down on his stool at the counter.

The guy shrugged and walked out of the arcade.

* * *

Seeing Serena up ahead, he called her name. 

"Hey, umm. . . Serena! Hey!"

Serena turned around to see who was calling her name. Following her was some random guy with long black hair and a smile on his face.

(A/N: You need to be shot if you don't know who I'm talking about)

"Hello," she said cautiously.

"Listen, I saw what happened back there. I just wanted to know if you're all right," he said, staring as he saw Serena up close. "Umm. . . "He lost his train of thought.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," she said. She started to walk away.

"Wait, wait a minute," he said sheepishly. "My name's Seiya. If you ever need someone to talk to." he trailed off realizing he sounded creepy.

Serena frowned as she realized she had been admiring his smile. "That's a very nice offer, considering you just met me. Just who are you anyway?"

"Just someone who would like to be a friend," he said, entranced by her blue eyes.

"SEIYA! DAMN IT, YOU'RE FLIRTING AT A TIME LIKE THIS?" a voice boomed from down the sidewalk.

Two guys around his age ran up, one with silver hair, the other's hair was brown. Both had long ponytails like Seiya. They just stood there and glared.

"Hah, umm. . . guys, this is Serena. Serena, these are my brothers, Yaten and Taiki," he indicated which was who with his hand.

"Charmed," Yaten said, no expression at all.

"Excuse us for interrupting," Taiki said with a sneer. "Whenever you're done, Seiya."

Getting the point, Seiya said, "Well, goodnight Serena. Maybe we'll see each other around."

"Bye," she said, not expecting to ever see him again.

Back at the arcade, Darien sat with his head in his hands. "I really messed up Andrew."

"Really," Andrew's deadpan face gave Darien no hope for sympathy. "I don't even know why you grabbed her like that! That could have had serious consequences."

"I know that," Darien said desperately. "I just don't know what to do!"

"I do," Andrew looked at him. "Leave it alone for a while. I've known Serena for a long time and the way she acted today was totally not her, so I assume you did or said something really bad."

"You assume correctly."


	3. Take a Picture

A/N: I'm ignoring the time line of SM (not much), and I can't remember when Japanese schools let out, so I'm making it summer like we do in America. This title is from a wonderful group called Filter. Messed up music video, though.  
  
SHOUTOUTS:  
  
Marni- I can't stand it when writers make her pathetic. She's the freakin' moon princess; she really does have pride, it's just that she needs to grow up.  
  
Mainia-girl2002- Hey, arigato! But this is not going to be Seiya/Serena. No way.  
  
DaughterofDeath- Well. Here's that chapter.  
  
Soul 141- See above. Seiya/Serena does not float my boat. I really thought that it was clear, but I guess not. Hmmm.  
  
Disclaimer: Me no own. Of course if Naoko wanted to give to me. . . .maybe? Ah, damn it!  
  
If ifs were fifths, we'd all be drunk.  
  
Coming Into Her Own  
  
Chapter 2 - Take a Picture  
  
Serena rolled over in her bed and reluctantly opened her eyes. She lay there for a few minutes, just thinking. Her communicator beeped, sounding like an alarm clock in the quiet room. Reaching to answer it, she woke Luna up.  
  
"Hmm. Serena? Is there a Scout emergency?" she yawned.  
  
"Hold on. Serena here! Where's the trouble?" she answered in her normally upbeat voice.  
  
Ami's face flashed on the screen. "It's not an emergency, we just couldn't get through to your phone or answering machine."  
  
Sheepishly, Serena looked at said items. "Whoops, I forgot I turned them off."  
  
Rei's face suddenly appeared on screen. "You meatball head! Why did you do that?!?"  
  
"Wait a minute, are all you guys there?" Serena asked. She watched as Ami propped the comm up so she could see all four of them. Mina, Lita, and Ami all had concerned expressions, Rei just looked pissed.  
  
"Who don't you want to talk to?" Mina and Lita said together.  
  
Serena to a deep breath, "Darien. I broke up with him a couple of days ago."  
  
"WHAT?!?" five voices said together.  
  
"Hold on, wait!" Lita said. "You broke up with Darien? I thought you guys were the love match of the century!"  
  
Serena smiled sadly, and told them of the breakup on the bridge. She left out the part about seeing him the day after at the arcade and about meeting Seiya and his brothers.  
  
"But Serena," Luna cut in, "You and Darien are destined. Both in the past and the future."  
  
"And that's all he sees, Luna," Serena said, getting really, really annoyed. "He doesn't see Serena, he sees an obligation, a burden. I'm too good for that and I'm really sorry if you don't think I am. The past isn't everything, and the future hasn't even happened yet."  
  
Luna went red in the face and shut her mouth.  
  
"You go girl," Rei said, surprising everyone.  
  
"Did you just give Serena a-a compliment?" Ami stammered.  
  
Rei looked ready to kill the next one who dared to open their mouth. "Well, of course. Sounds like she's finally growing up. You guys can be really dim sometimes."  
  
Serena gave Rei a grateful smile. At least someone seemed to be on her side. "Girls, today's a free day for everyone, right?"  
  
"Right," they all said.  
  
"Well, I'm ready for a change, something new-" she was cut off by Mina's squeal.  
  
"Shopping! Oh, can we go Serena, Please, please, PLEASE?"  
  
Serena sighed, "Can I finish?" Mina quieted down. "We're going to the mall."  
  
They plan to meet at the main entrance in 2 hours.  
  
Serena turned her comm off, her phone and machine back on, and goes to get dressed.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The girls are calmly waiting as Serena careens around the corner towards them, late.  
  
Damn it, Meatball Head!" Rei shouted, exasperated as always by Serena's chronic lateness. "This was your idea, the least that you could have done was be on time!"  
  
"I'm working on it, Pyro," Serena muttered. She looked up at the girls' outfits. Ami had on a light blue sundress, Lita had on flare blue jeans and a green tank top, Rei had on a red shirt and khaki capris, and Mina wore a short jean skirt and a white tank top.  
  
Then she looked down at her own outfit, a blue blouse with a frilly pink skirt.  
  
Dear God in Heaven, Even Ami, the shyest, looked older than she!  
  
"Anyway," she continued, "Like I said, I'm ready for a change. I'm sick of all these cutesy clothes I have. It's almost summer; next year we'll be in high school, and I'm still wearing the same clothes I wore when I was 12. I want a change."  
  
"All right!" Mina jumped up into the air, flashing her 'V'. "Does this mean you'll be getting rid of those crazy meatballs?"  
  
(Z: Why did she say that?)  
  
"I'm going to pretend that I didn't just hear you insult my hairstyle, Mina," Serena said quietly. "It's a royal hairstyle, jealous?"  
  
"Oh my God!" Rei said, with a frown. "Guess I spoke too soon about you growing up. Listen Meatball Head," she used the name on purpose, "If you want us to stop teasing you then just say so. Y'know, there is a difference between having a backbone and being a bitch."  
  
"Whatever would I do without you, Rei?" Serena asked dryly. "Why don't we start shopping, I have to be home for dinner at 8."  
  
The girls set out, with a subdued Mina and a smiling Rei.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
4 hours later, the five girls walked out of the mall, excited. Serena was wearing one of her new outfits, a pink tank top and tight (really, really tight) black capris.  
  
"That was so much fun," she said with a smile. All of her friends smiled back, happy and revved up from the day.  
  
"Did you see that cashier?" Lita asked. "He looks just like-"  
  
"My old boyfriend," the other four joined in.  
  
Some things will never change.  
  
"Why didn't you buy more clothes, Serena?" Ami asked. They had dropped her off at the bookstore about halfway through.  
  
"We'll, we didn't have a whole day to shop and I don't have much money on me right now," Serena said. "I get paid my allowance next week, until then I can mix and match."  
  
"Serena, let me take your picture right quick," Rei said. They had brought a disposable camera to take before and after shots of Serena. Snapping a few, she said, "I don't know about the rest of you but I don't feel like going home just yet. Tell you what, Serena still has 3 hours before she has to be home. Let all go to the arcade and pig, my treat." "  
  
"You mean, ruin our dinners" Serena said with a mock horrified look on her face.  
  
Rei grinned, "Hey free food, I wouldn't turn it down."  
  
"WELL, WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR?!," Serena yelled. "LET'S GO!"  
  
Some things really never will change.  
  
********************************************************************* 


	4. Uninvited

A/N: Thanks to reviewers. KEEP THE REVIEWS COMING! I'm on a favorite author's list! Once more, and this is the last time I'm typing this, THIS IS A SERENA/DARIEN FIC. No more reviews pleading me not to make this Seiya/ Serena. It isn't. Now that I've gotten that out of the way, I know I said I'd post Sunday, but I forgot Children of Dune was coming on. I've waited almost a whole year to seen the damn thing. . . So this will probably get posted Monday. Title: Alanis Morrisette (best damn song she ever did).  
  
SHOUTOUTS:  
  
Princess-MoonBunny- Arigato! What a compliment!  
  
Mainia-girl2002- Serena's just going to have on cute clothes; but that's a good idea! See above at the A/N about the Seiya/Serena thing.  
  
DaughterofDeath- Here. Please write something more in your reviews.  
  
Squiggles- Awww . . . tear. Thank you, that's so nice.  
  
Just a teen- Hola, chica! Welcome to the crazy ride! You reviewed every one of my chapters. Cool!!  
  
Disclaimer: I can't believe we have to do this every chapter. We all know we don't own this; we wouldn't be posting if we did.  
  
If ifs were fifths, we'd all be drunk.  
  
Coming Into Her Own  
  
Chapter 3: Uninvited  
  
Walking home after stopping at the arcade, Serena and friends see youmas attacking couples out for a twilight walk in the park.  
  
"Moon Crystal Power!"  
  
"Mars Star Power!"  
  
"Jupiter Star Power!"  
  
"Mercury Star Power!"  
  
"Venus Star Power!"  
  
They powered up and started kicking youma ass. Finally, there was one youma left standing, obviously the leader. He was tall, about 6'5, had red hair and golden eyes. He might have been handsome, except for the sneer on his face and an ugly scar that bisected his face. Mina and Lita attacked first, combining their attacks.  
  
"Jupiter Thunderclap Zap!"  
  
"Venus Love Chain Encircle!"  
  
The youma laughed, caught their attacks and threw them back at them. Lita and Mina went down.  
  
Ami was on her computer frantically trying to find his weak spot. Rei threw her attack next.  
  
"Mars Celestial Fire Surround!" Instead of waiting for the attack to hit her, Rei dove toward the youma and began kicking ass. Well, at least she tried. The youma grabbed her by her hair with one hand and pressed his other hand to her forehead.  
  
"Stop," she screamed, "You're burning me."  
  
"Alright," he said. He let go of her head, but pulled her into a tight embrace. "Now I've got a friend on the inside." He whispered in her ear then threw Rei into a tree.  
  
Serena was about to use her attack on him when a rose flew through the air and scratched the youma's cheek.  
  
"I am Tuxedo Mask, defender of Earth," Darien cried out from behind her. He then tried to jump the youma. He got his ass kicked and fell to the ground. Ami and Serena were both powering up when they heard-  
  
"World Shaking," a deep voice rang out from the opposite side of the youma. That attack slammed him into a tree. Wide-eyed, everyone turned to where the voice had come from. They saw a tall girl with short blond hair, and a shorter girl with long, wavy, aqua hair. Both were wearing sailor uniforms, and the tall one had a big sneer on her face. They both looked extremely smug.  
  
"I can't believe how bad you guys are," the blond said. "It's not even funny."  
  
"Excuse me?" this was from Lita.  
  
"You suck," the girl said. "I'm surprised you haven't been killed yet."  
  
"Oh hell no! No she didn't!" Rei said, trying to stand. "Who is this-, SERENA, WATCH OUT!"  
  
Serena turned, but not in time and the youma backhanded her across the face. She flew through the air and landed next to Rei.  
  
"I just wanted to see how strong you were," the youma said. "I see I don't really have anything to worry about, except maybe you two." He indicated the two unknown sailors. "You were a surprise."  
  
"Who is this fool anyway?" Darien asked, impatient.  
  
"Me?" the youma said. "I'm Keahi, and I'm going to destroy you all. I don't want you dead, I'm going to give you all oblivion, and there's no coming back from that."  
  
With that he disappeared.  
  
"Hmm," said the aqua haired one, "he could be a problem."  
  
"But he's our problem," Ami piped up.  
  
"You must be joking," the blond one said. "As for introductions, I'm Sailor Uranus, and she's Sailor Neptune. And I'm going to offer to train you before you get killed. You're enough of an embarrassment as it is."  
  
"I think they do alright," Darien spoke up.  
  
"NO ONE WAS TALKING TO YOU ROSIE," the Inners (except for Serena) shouted.  
  
"You aren't welcome here and we don't need your help," Rei said, glaring at Darien. "Neither of you," she pointed at Darien and the new scouts.  
  
"Is that true Sailor Moon?" he asked quietly, offering his hand to help her up.  
  
She ignored the hand. "Yes. I'm afraid it is. However," she turned to Uranus and Neptune, "We could use the training you offered. Only those who want to of course," she added.  
  
Uranus looked shocked. "I didn't expect you to take me up on my offer. Just get mad and leave us alone so we could get the job done."  
  
"Wait, Uranus," Neptune said. "You're not in a position to make an offer like that. I'm afraid we'll have to say no at this time."  
  
Serena smiled, "Of course."  
  
Darien was looking shell-shocked. "I need a drink."  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
Well. Review, please. I totally forgot about a villain, so I made one up. He's related to a past villain. What do you think so far?  
  
Zoya 


	5. The First of the Month

A/N: Sorry for the wait. The teachers have been really piling it on, so I have very little free time. The updates are gonna come really slowly for the next 2 weeks. I'll try to put out up to chapter 6 this weekend, but no promises. This chapter's title is from Bone Thugz in Harmony (I love this song! It's all about getting that paycheck!).  
  
SHOUTOUTS:  
  
Mainia-girl2002: I have a vague idea of how I'm gonna get them back together, but you'll have to keep reading!  
  
Anime_freak_4life: Thanks!  
  
Ruka-Tenou-Girl: We can all tell who your favorite character is (Grin). Double post.  
  
Rainhe: I'm going to try to go back and edit past chapters. Thanks for noticing my weakness. Every essay I get back I lose points for tenses because I have a really hard time fixing them. I'll still probably miss some, but everything is in the present unless otherwise noted. Keep reading!  
  
Soul 141: Darien and Serena ain't getting back together anytime soon. But in later chapters there will be Darien trying to seduce her (not sexually, hentais!). And did you not read the Author's note on last chapter about the relationship? (eye twitch)  
  
Just a teen: I didn't realize it was that short. As I said before, I'm going to revise and add, so everyone might want to reread the chapters. And about 'Children of Dune', trust me, I've seen the 1980's Dune movie, the 2000 Dune movie, and read 'Dune' the book. And I still didn't understand all of what was going on. The end was so incomplete to 'Children'. But that was probably because they tried to combine 2 books into 1 6 hour miniseries. They really shouldn't have done that.  
  
Kamaria: This whole story is dedicated to you, my #1 homegirl. What's up! I knew you'd find my story! But girl, you gotta review more. AND EMAIL ME! I MISS YOU! I'm going to go back and revise a little (my third time saying this) because Serena's character is moving a little faster than I wanted. You can't believe my workload, but since you posted, I'm gonna put up to chapter 6 for sure this weekend! I'm so proud of you, I love you too! (I just realized, people are gonna think we're hella weird if we keep throwing I love you's around. Ah man, fuck 'em, the hentais.). I might need your help with the dialogue; it's not my strong point.  
  
Disclaimer: Damn it, poor, young. If they sue me, all I have is the skin on my back. They'd probably try to take that.  
  
If ifs were fifths, we'd all be drunk.  
  
Coming Into Her Own  
  
Chapter Four- The First of the Month  
  
"Here you go Serena," her mom handed her the monthly allowance that hadn't increased in two years. "So what are you going to spend it on?"  
  
"Some new clothes for the summer," Serena answered. "Hey mom, do you think that we could go to the beach this year?" If she could go to the beach, it would most definitely be a Darien-free zone. It was getting harder and harder not to think of him. At first it wasn't so bad, but she was definitely feeling his absence in her life. Last night she had even had a dream. 'Maybe if I went away for a while, it would stop,' she thought with a wistful sigh.  
  
"I would love to, but it's up to your dad," Irene said, noting the sigh. "Why don't you ask him at dinner?"  
  
"Mom, I don't think I'll be home for dinner tonight," Serena said slowly.  
  
"Well, alright dear," Irene said smiling. "I'll ask Ken; it's been a while since we went to the beach. Where are you going today?"  
  
"To the mall," Serena said. "We'll probably get something to eat for dinner there."  
  
"Well, you and your friends be careful, dear."  
  
"Okay," Serena yelled, going up the stairs and tripping on the third step.  
  
As she crashed into the room, she saw Luna's disapproving face. It really seemed like that particular expression had frozen on her face since Serena's breakup with Darien.  
  
"Serena-"  
  
"I'm going out with the girls," Serena told her shortly, while changing out of her pajamas into a black halter-top sundress and black sandals.  
  
As she was adding some silver jewelry, Luna spoke again.  
  
"Serena, I do believe you need to listen to what Darien has to say," She said indicating the answering machine. It was blinking a red 20 for 20 messages. "All of them are from him," she said. "What are you trying to prove?"  
  
"Bye Luna," Serena said grabbing her purse and leaving the house.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
This time, only Mina and Lita showed up. Ami had to study and Rei was tied up at the temple.  
  
Mina and Lita helped Serena buy an obscene amount of clothes. There were many happy mall salespeople that day.  
  
"MY FEET!" Serena and Lita screeched.  
  
Mina, bouncing ahead, turned back. "You're tired already? But we have money left with all of the great discounts we found!"  
  
Serena and Lita just glared.  
  
"All right, all right," Mina laughed. "So where are we going to rest?"  
  
They ended up in a small coffeehouse across the street from the mall. Kind of shabby outside, the inside looked like a dream. The walls and chairs were all varying shades of blue. It was quiet and kind of dark, and there weren't many people.  
  
"It's like being in a deep pool of water," Serena said, in awe.  
  
"Yeah, yeah. Let's sit down," Lita grumbled.  
  
Serena ordered café mocha, Lita had green tea, and Mina had hot chocolate (Serena and Lita had forbidden any caffeine).  
  
"Let's come back here," Serena said. "I love how quiet this is, just a sit and think place, Y'know? The arcade is fun, but sometimes you want just peace and quiet."  
  
"Sure, Serena," the other two chorused. They didn't know what to think about her last words.  
  
All three sat, gossiped, and sipped on their drinks, looking like and just being normal teenagers for once.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
It was starting to become dark outside, and finally Lita spoke up.  
  
"As fun as this has been, I really need to get home and start studying for finals," she said. "They're really gonna kick my ass this year if I don't. It's the last year before high school; none of us need to be playing around. And we have entrance exams too."  
  
"Let's go!" Serena said, pumping her fist in the air. "I've got to get to the candy shop before it closes!"  
  
Lita just hung her head. "That's way off subject on finals, Serena. How did you make that leap?"  
  
Serena just grinned, stood up, and started walking towards the door. At least that was her intention.  
  
Then she had one of her biggest klutz attacks ever.  
  
She tripped and landed on a (unoccupied, thank goodness) table, flipped it onto its side and busted her knee. Mina and Lita rushed over, and stared down at their friend's red face. They could tell she was struggling not to start the infamous wailing.  
  
"Can I get some help up?" she asked her two frozen friends, really, REALLY trying not to wail.  
  
"Are you all right?" a young woman hurrying up to them asked. All three of them bent down and helped Serena up. "I'm really sorry. I'm the owner, Cass."  
  
"Believe me, it's not your fault," Mina said. They all turned to look at the lady. She was young, with long red hair, brown eyes, and a stance that said 'Try me, I'm not afraid to go to jail for busting you in your face.'  
  
(A/N: Anybody you know Kamaria? ^_^ )  
  
"I am so sorry, you guys," she said. "Drinks are on the house."  
  
"Umm. . . we already paid," the girls chorused.  
  
"Well, when you come back they'll be on the house. There's a lot to do here; it's only quiet in the daytime. Why don't you take a look at our bulletin board," she indicated the big board by the door. "We also have 'Open Mike Night' every night, and sometimes people display their art on the walls."  
  
"Really?" Lita asked. "That sounds like fun."  
  
"Oh it is," Cass said. "Sometimes we get some really trifling fools, but other times we have really good people like Michelle," she indicated an aqua poster. "She comes at least once a week and offers music lessons. She's a really good player, she has everyone in tears sometime. She also does artwork to hang."  
  
Serena had stars in her eyes, "Wow, I could sing! And Rei would love to do that! Is there a prize?"  
  
Her friends just looked at her. "I don't think she's trying to lose business Serena," Mina said with a grin.  
  
"Humph!" Serena said, and stalked towards the door.  
  
Mina and Lita said goodbye to Cass and asked her to forgive their friend because she had just gotten out of the mental institution.  
  
Cass waved to the three crazy girls and went back behind her counter shaking her head.  
  
'I don't even want to know,' she thought.  
  
********************************************************************* 


	6. A New Favorite?

A/N: So very sorry for time lapse. Procrastination came and bit me in the ass. I think I should explain about truth or lunch. It's like truth or dare, but if you don't answer your question, you have to bring lunch for everybody the next day. I used to play it all the time in high school (I'm making it sound like that was 20 years ago). This title is from Alison Krauss and Union Station.  
  
SHOUTOUTS:  
  
Mainia-girl2002: I aim to please. If your guy wants to get in touch with you, I'm telling you, unplug your phone. You won't get peace until you do. Your reviews just make me feel 100% better about myself!  
  
kirei*snow*tenshi : Thanks.  
  
Soul 141:Just an observation. But what did you think of the chapter?  
  
Rini: Compared to the caffeine in coffee, hot chocolate doesn't have any.  
  
Just a teem: I just love the outers, so much attitude.  
  
Joyce: Here it is.  
  
Disclaimer: I hate the way that the remind us that we do not own Sailor Moon, and don't have a snowball's chance in hell to.  
  
If ifs were fifths, we'd all be drunk.  
  
Coming Into Her Own  
  
Chapter 5- A New Favorite?  
  
'It's Monday morning, wonderful', Serena thought, the victim of broken sleep. She actually managed to get out of the house on time today. 'Great,' she continued, '2 more weeks of school, and I decide to start waking up on time.'  
  
As she dragged herself into the front gates of school, she noticed that everyone in the schoolyard had stopped to stare at her. Understandably, she freaked out and hurried inside. In the classroom, Serena's on time appearance caused a rerun of the reaction outside.  
  
"Golly, Serena. Did hell freeze over?" Molly asked.  
  
Serena frowned. "Thanks for your support. Such a friend."  
  
"Okay, class. Roll Call!" Ms. Haruna called out as she swept in. Going down the roll, she skipped Serena's name. At the end, she finally called, "Tsukino?"  
  
"Right here, Ms. Haruna. You skipped me," Serena calmly sat in her chair grinning at the look on the teacher's face.  
  
Ms. Haruna was trying not to have a heart attack.  
  
Really trying.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
At lunch, Serena's never before seen timeliness was the talk of school. She saw people pointing and giggling. Finally spotting Lita and Ami, she moved towards their picnic table  
  
"Man, you'd think they'd at least be a little less obvious when talking about someone," she muttered, disgusted. Suddenly, a hand grabbed her arm. "Excuse --" she trailed off as she turned to see who had grabbed her.  
  
"Hey, remember me?" Seiya asked.  
  
"How could I forget. It's not everyday your ex-boyfriend causes a scene. Seiya, right?" she smiled.  
  
"Right. So, ummm. . . how are you doing?" he asked, obscenely overjoyed that she remembered his name.  
  
"Fine, I didn't know you went to this school."  
  
"We just got here. They wouldn't put us in high school until we passed the exams, so. . . " he trailed off. "The night we met was our first in Tokyo."  
  
"Really? So where's your brothers?" she frowned, remembering how they had behaved the last time she had met them.  
  
"Oh, they're around here somewhere," he said. "Wait, would you like to go out today?" he asked, trying to make it sound casual.  
  
"What?" Serena wasn't sure she had heard him right.  
  
"We could use a guide to Tokyo," he added. 'Nice save,' he thought.  
  
"It's Monday, I don't know if that's a good idea," she said.  
  
"Oh, come on. You can show me the best places to go and dinner's on me," he pleaded. "You don't have to show me everything today. I promise I won't keep you out that late."  
  
"Fine. Why not?" she agreed. 'It's not like there's a scout meeting today,' she added mentally.  
  
"Taiki, Yaten," Seiya shouted to his brothers to get their attention as he saw them pass. "Over here." When they were next to him, Seiya said, "Guys, remember Serena?"  
  
"Hello," Taiki said.  
  
"Hey, what's up?" Yaten chimed in.  
  
It wasn't friendly, but it was better than their rudeness the first time they met. "Hey," Serena said. Eager to get away from Seiya's brothers, she said, "Well guys, I've got to go and eat lunch. But I'll see you later." She waved bye as she got the hell out of dodge.  
  
The three watched her walk away.  
  
"Seiya, what are you doing," Yaten questioned. "We're here for a reason. It wouldn't speak well of you to forget that."  
  
"I know," Seiya murmured absentmindedly. "It's just . . . "  
  
"Just what?" Taiki asked.  
  
Seiya smiled, "She intrigues me."  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
"Serena, who were those new guys?" Lita asked.  
  
"How do you know he's new?" Serena teased her.  
  
"Anybody that looks as good as those three do not go unnoticed here," Lita said with a superior smile.  
  
"Is that all you think about, Lita?" Serena asked her.  
  
"Let's count our blessings," Ami said with a grin. "Imagine if Mina was here. Does the word STAMPEDE mean anything to you?"  
  
Molly and Melvin's sudden appearance put Lita's evil response on hold.  
  
"Hey Serena," Melvin said, sitting down. "Who are the new guys?"  
  
"I'll think I'll save this for Truth or Lunch," Serena said. "That way you guys can't ask me any embarrassing questions. 'Cause I've got news!"  
  
"Serena goes first!" Ami, Lita, Molly and Melvin sang out in unison, ready to dish the dirt.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
"I'm so ready for a nap," Serena wails. After lunch she tripped down the stairs in front of half the school. And if that wasn't bad enough, she fell asleep in class only to be awakened by her loving Ms. Haruna.  
  
"Serena!" Seiya's deep voice called out. He was smiling and walking towards her.  
  
"Hey! Where's your brothers?" she asked.  
  
"They had something to do," he said. 'Yeah, go home,' he finished in his head. "So it's just you and me. Shall we go?" He held his arm out.  
  
Serena ignored it. Unfortunately, when she took her first step she tripped.  
  
Seiya quickly caught her. "Watch out now!"  
  
"Nice reflexes," she laughed, taking the offered arm this time.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
"Serena . . ." Darien said watching the two go off into the bright afternoon. His mind started reeling with questions and his stomach in his throat. All he did now besides school and work was watch Serena. Everywhere, whenever he had spare time. He would even watch her sleep sometimes.  
  
And everyday he missed her more.  
  
When she took Seiya's arm, Darien's heart nearly stopped. When she laughed he wanted to bang his head against the brick wall he was leaning on.  
  
"Serena . . ." he said in an anguished whisper. "Have I lost you?"  
  
********************************************************************* 


	7. I Grieve

A/N: Even sorrier for this time lapse, but hey, what can you do when you don't have a computer and have to work all summer? Anyways, I'm back and will be updating more and more to make up for the extreme time lapse. Thanks to everyone who has read! I forgot to put in my shoutouts! And the name of this chapter is from Peter Gabriel. Thanks to all who have reviewed already!  
  
Disclaimer: Don't you think I know that I don't own Sailor Moon? Personally, I think that this is the way of the Powers That Be to torment me.  
  
SHOUTOUTS:  
  
Just a teen: Jealous is always best. (Evil Grin)  
  
Lazzykane: I want him to worry, A LOT!  
  
Phantasy Star: See above.  
  
If ifs were fifths, we'd all be drunk. (I want a drink.)  
  
Chapter 6- I Grieve  
  
Darien lay on his bed, stone cold drunk.  
  
After he had seen Serena and Seiya walk away together, he hit up the nearest liquor store for some tequila. When he got to his apartment he drank both bottles.  
  
It didn't help. Instead of making him pass out, the tequila made his mind clearer than ever. Instead of stopping his thoughts, it was making him acknowledge what he might have never otherwise. All of his usual mental inhibitors were down.  
  
If there was one thing Darien hated, it was to have to admit that he was wrong. And he knew now that he had been very wrong, and that Serena had been right.  
  
"Serena."  
  
That was about the only coherent word that he had been able to get out, the only thing that he'd been saying for the past few hours. Since Andrew had left.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
About halfway through his 'drown-my-sorrows' session, Andrew had unexpectedly dropped by, and Darien had opened the door to see his oldest friend staring at him in horror.  
  
"Man, what is the matter with you?" Andrew demanded. "Are you drunk?" He had never seen Darien like that before: Wild eyed, and looking anything but calm. "How do you expect to be at work tomorrow?"  
  
"Don't worry about me," Darien slurred, horrifying his friend more. "S'only tequila. No hangover, man. I'll be a'ight."  
  
"This is seriously jacked up," Andrew had said in disgust. "And you are seriously fucked up. Get hold of yourself man!" He shouted the last, impatiently.  
  
"What for?" Darien asked. "So I can feel even more like an idiot?" His voice dropped to a hoarse whisper. "You know who I saw today?" Without waiting for a reply, he charged ahead. "I saw her, saw her with Mr. Hair, d'you remember him? He was TOUCHING her."  
  
"You know you've got no one else to blame besides yourself," Andrew had asked him with absolutely no sympathy at all. "I saw them earlier, at the Arcade. Serena hasn't smiled like that in a while," he had deliberately poured salt into a still bleeding wound.  
  
That however, had been the final straw for Darien who then stood up, his face purple with rage.  
  
"Get out."  
  
"Darien --"  
  
"NOW!" Darien screamed. Then sank down to the floor, sobbing.  
  
Overwhelmed, Andrew had let himself out, promising that if there was any way that he could help Darien get Serena back, he'd do it. That kind of misery he wouldn't wish on his worst enemy.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
Now all Darien seemed capable of was staring at the ceiling, stupefied.  
  
"Serena, I love you, I do," he said to the uncaring ceiling. "I'd give anything for you to smile at me again."  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
A/N: This didn't really come out like I wanted. I may revise. Tell me what you think. 


	8. Just a Friend

A/N: Okay, I'm really trying to get better about posting, but I need some encouragement. I have learned not to make any promises about when I'm going to put chapters out. I can guarantee that there won't be any this weekend. Because I'm about to PARTY! Anyway, I changed the rating to R because I noticed that some of my readers are really young, like 13. That is just a warning to them, because alcohol use is not for kids. This chapter's name is by Biz Markie. Stupid little Mario remade the song, but we're not going to talk about that.  
  
SHOUTOUTS:  
  
Disclaimer: Motherf$*# your disclaimer. This is the last one that you'll get from me. If in doubt, refer to previous chapters. I'm tired of taking up disk space.  
  
Chapter 7: Just a Friend  
  
"Wow, what a day!" Serena said breathlessly. "Are you sure you need a tour guide? It seems that you can find your way around the city pretty well."  
  
Seiya did, from the combined intelligence that he and his brothers had gathered but he wasn't about to tell her that. Why ruin a chance to spend an afternoon with a pretty girl?  
  
He was interrupted from his musing by Serena's sudden stop.  
  
"Hey, Seiya," she said, "do you want to go to the arcade for dinner?"  
  
"Sure, why not?" he asked.  
  
Watching him from the corner of her eye, she saw that he didn't suspect anything. She was just going to bring him to the arcade, where Darien would hopefully be. 'If he saw a guy with me it might make him take me seriously,' she thought, hopefully.  
  
She didn't know that he had already seen her earlier that day and was taking her VERY seriously. As seriously as a heart attack.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Andrew's eyes almost fell out of their sockets when he saw Serena dash in with some guy that looked familiar.  
  
"Hey Andrew! What's up with you?" Serena chirped, looking like everything was right in the world. "This is Seiya."  
  
Andrew fervently thanked God that Darien wasn't there that night.  
  
"What's up man?" Andrew said trying to sound as friendly as he could, which wasn't much considering the circumstances.  
  
"Hey, what's up man?" Seiya asked.  
  
"Not much. Where are you two coming from, a movie?"  
  
Serena looked up at Andrew and started to grin. She knew that without a doubt Darien would be hearing all about this sometime in the near future. That was almost as good as having him here to see this. "No, Seiya's just new and I offered to show him around. I think we're gonna become good friends."  
  
"Really? Can you tell me how good friends we are going to be?" Seiya teased.  
  
Serena batted her eyes at him. "How friendly do you want to be?" she asked mischievously. Slyly looking at Andrew, she was pleased to see that he had the appropriately horrified expression on his face. Taking pity on him she turned to Seiya, "Why don't you go and get us some tokens so we can play a couple of games. I'll wait for the snacks."  
  
"That's fine. See you later, Andrew." Neither guy had fooled one another. Seiya could read the vibe that Andrew was putting out loud and clear.  
  
"Bye." Andrew wasn't going to waste any words that he didn't need to on Seiya. The guy might be alright, but he was clearly moving in on his best friend's girl.  
  
Both blonds watched as Seiya moved towards the token machine.  
  
"Serena, what the hell are you doing?" Andrew asked abruptly.  
  
"I really don't have to answer that, but since you want to know so desperately," she rolled her eyes at him. "Absolutely nothing. We're just new friends. That's not a crime."  
  
"It is when he looks at you like he does," Andrew muttered under his breath.  
  
Serena flashed a mischievous grin at Andrew. "We're just friends," she said slowly and clearly. Not knowing that Seiya had come up behind her. His face fell when he heard her. He silently turned around to go, Andrew watching him the whole time.  
  
"Ok, Serena," he said, deciding not push anymore. He had seen everything he needed to in Seiya's face. He was convinced that given enough time Seiya would make a move that would knock Darien out of the running for Serena's affection.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"NO!" Rei woke in a panic. "No," she repeated. Every night had been like this. Every night since that fight with Keahi.  
  
Him.  
  
At the time of the fight, when he had grabbed her she thought that he was just trying to hurt her physically. That night, when she tried to go to sleep she learned the truth. Her body was no longer completely in her own control. That night she learned that whenever she slept, whatever he had done to her gave him control of her body when she slept. She had woken up miles from the dojo a few times.  
  
"Just to prove he can," she muttered.  
  
That wasn't the worst of it. When she was awake he couldn't take any direct action but he could hear and see anything that she did. Anything she thought. She couldn't get away. And somehow she wasn't able to tell anyone about it.  
  
Giving up on sleep for the night she moved to her vanity. Looking at herself.  
  
Looking at the enemy within.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 


End file.
